Georgia and the American Experience Chapter 12: Baby Boomers, Rebellion, and Wars Study Presentation ©2005 Clairmont Press

Georgia and the American Experience Section 1: The Postwar Period The Postwar PeriodThe Postwar Period Section 2: Georgia After WWII Georgia After WWIIGeorgia After WWII Section 3: The Civil Rights Movement The Civil Rights MovementThe Civil Rights Movement Section 4: A Period of Protests and Challenges A Period of Protests and ChallengesA Period of Protests and Challenges ©2005 Clairmont Press

Section 1: The Postwar Period ESSENTIAL QUESTION : – How was life in the U.S. different after WWII?

Television Changes America  Television use expanded in the 1950s Frozen dinners were invented to heat quickly and eat in front of the TV  More televisions were in homes and people spent more time watching  ABC, CBS, NBC were major networks Entertainment was important  People could now watch news events almost as they happened How is TV news different from previous news sources?

The Cold War  Relations between the US and USSR became tense  Cold War: a war of words and diplomacy  US and USSR were world’s most powerful countries (Superpowers)  USSR kept eastern Europe in communism behind the “iron curtain”  Containment of communism led to war in Korea and Vietnam Where is the “Iron Curtain?”

How do these cartoons represent the “domino theory”? How does the “domino theory” affect the policy of containment?

The Korean War  Korea was divided after WWII  38 th parallel was line between communist North and democratic South  June 25, 1950: North Korea invaded South Korea  United Nations countries sent troops to assist South Korea 25,000 Americans killed; 500 Georgians  Peace declared in July 1953; no winner Many businesses benefited from doing business with the military bases and armed forces Why is the Korean War sometimes called the “forgotten war”?

Section 2: Georgia After WWII ESSENTIAL QUESTION: –What events affected Georgians after World War II?

An Atlanta Tragedy  December 7, 1946: Winecoff Hotel fire  Hotel was Atlanta’s tallest at 15 floors  There were nearly 300 guests; 119 killed  1948: Georgia enacted stricter fire codes for hotels and other businesses What fire codes do you think would make tall buildings safer?

Industries Move to Georgia Businesses continued to move into the state  Air conditioning began to be installed making year round work more comfortable  Georgia’s low taxes were attractive to workers and businesses  Lockheed became largest employer  CDC: Centers for Disease Control – Atlanta headquarters established How do these industries help the state?

“One Person, One Vote”  The concept that each citizen’s vote should equal every other citizen’s vote  County-unit system was declared unconstitutional in 1962  This change caused more representatives to come from urban areas  General Assembly had to reapportion (redraw) voting districts to ensure districts of equal population size How is the “One Person One Vote” similar or different from the County Unit System? Which one do you think is more fair?

The 3 Governors Episode Newly re-elected governor Eugene Talmadge died before taking office The previous governor, Ellis Arnall, the Lieutenant Governor, and Talmadge’s son, Herman, fought over who would govern The Georgia Supreme Court ruled that a special election must be held Herman Talmadge was elected

Georgia Governors Melvin Thomas: purchased Jekyll Island to build a state-owned resort; established UGA Veterinary SchoolJekyll Island Herman Talmadge: Minimum Foundation Program for Education Act – established 9- month school year raised standards for schools Marvin Griffin: began educational television; oversaw purchase of Stone Mountain for parkStone Mountain

Georgia Governors Carl Sanders: elected in 1962; worked to diffuse racial violence; increased spending on education; used television ads to campaign Lester Maddox: elected 1967; surprise winner; appointed more African Americans to state office than all other governors combined; integrated the State Patrol; “People’s Days” – any Georgian could visit and talk with the governor Click to return to Table of Contents.

Section 3: The Civil Rights Movement ESSENTIAL QUESTION – What advances were made in civil rights during the postwar period?

The Supreme Court and Education 1948: racial integration ordered in armed forces  1950: Brown v. Board of Education – case struck down “separate but equal” concept; schools were to be integrated  Sibley Commission: found that most Georgians would rather close schools than integrate More private schools opened  1961: Charlayne Hunter and Hamilton Holmes first African American students at UGA  1971: All Georgia public schools integrated Why do you think it took so long to integrate all schools?

What does this picture show you about integration?

Montgomery Bus Boycott  Dec. 1, 1955: Rosa Parks, African American, refused to give up her bus seat to whites in Montgomery, AL Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. and the NAACP organized civic leaders and prepared marches  Supreme court ruled segregation on public transportation unconstitutional

A Nonviolent Movement is Born  Martin Luther King, Jr. developed a nonviolent approach to social change  direct, nonviolent actions  legal remedies  ballots  economic boycotts  SCLC: Southern Christian Leadership Conference – civil rights group led by Dr. King  Sit-in: Dr. King’s strategy to people refuse to leave a public building until their demands are met Who influenced Dr. King’s nonviolent idea?

The Albany Movement  1961: Albany, GA becomes center of civil rights activity  SNCC: Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee – challenged segregated bus system in Albany Nearly 500 people jailed Biracial committee formed to study concerns of African Americans

Protests Move to Alabama  1963: Martin Luther King, Jr. begins work to integrate all aspects of public life in Birmingham, AL Over 3,000 people arrested  Bomb killed 4 black children in their church  African Americans and whites from the north and south began to join together to stop the violence

The Civil Rights Act  President Kennedy created new civil rights laws  Kennedy was assassinated before the new laws came into effect  Lyndon Johnson became president and pushed for passage of the Civil Rights Act of 1964  All public facilities had to be integrated  Discrimination was prohibited in business and labor unions

The Voting Rights Act  1964: Freedom Summer – Martin Luther King, Jr. and SNCC worked to get African Americans registered to vote  Selma-to-Montgomery, AL march led by Dr. King Nearly 30,000 marchers  Congress passed the Voting Rights Act of 1965 – one million African Americans were registered to vote

A Shift in Mood Some people moved from the nonviolent strategies to more aggressive ones SNCC and “Black Panthers” confronted police Malcolm X preached black separatism Race riots in Los Angeles, Detroit, and Newark April 1968: Dr. King assassinated in Memphis, TN while working with striking sanitation workers

Atlanta: A Case Study in Change Integration in Atlanta was relatively peaceful Church leaders get much credit for this peaceful change William Hartsfield: Atlanta mayor who expanded Atlanta’s airport and worked with African American and white leaders; worked to integrate Atlanta’s schools Ivan Allen: Atlanta mayor ordered removal of “white” and “colored” segregation signs in the City Hall; integrated police and fire services and city government Troubled times followed but were overcome The city became known as “the city too busy to hate” Click to return to Table of Contents.

Section 4: A Period of Protests and Challenges ESSENTIAL QUESTION –What problems faced Americans during the 1970s?

Georgia in the 1970s  Ted Turner: TBS television network expanded from one station to a national network  MARTA: Metropolitan Atlanta Rapid Transit Authority – began rapid rail service in Atlanta  Georgia cities began to lose population to the suburbs  Cities have worked to attract residents What three developments helped rebuild Georgia’s cities?

Jimmy Carter  James Earl Carter: 1970 – elected governor of Georgia; served as President of the United States  As president, negotiated peace between Israel and Egypt  Problems as president: high energy costs, high interest rates, high inflation, 52 American hostages held in Iran Who defeated Jimmy Carter in 1980?

The Women’s Rights Movement  Women’s Rights Movement: women gained confidence that they could do the same jobs as men and should have the same rights Women often could not get credit at banks  NOW: National Organization for Women – promoted women’s rights issues  ERA: Equal Rights Amendment – never became part of the Constitution  1972: Title IX – President Nixon signed law which prohibited discrimination in education (academics or athletics) Compare & Contrast this Women’s Rights movement with that of the Progressive Era.

Vietnam Divides America  North Vietnam: communist  South Vietnam: democratic  USA began support South Vietnam against the North  1968: Over 500,000 Americans involved in Vietnam War Protests against the war increased  1973: war ended with no clear victor – Vietnam is now united and communist How does Vietnam fit into the ideas of “Containment” and the “Domino Theory”?

Watergate  1972: Group of men arrested for breaking into the Watergate building in Washington, DC to “bug” Democratic National Committee offices  Evidence supported that President Nixon knew of the burglary and tried to cover it up  Nixon resigned and Vice-President Gerald Ford became president How did this scandal affect peoples’ trust of government?

The Energy Crisis  1973: US supports Israel in its war vs. Egypt  Arab nations stop selling oil to the US  Price of gas went up & there were shortages  Georgians began to drive less and purchase fuel-efficient cars  Prudhoe Bay, Alaska: Alaskan Pipeline brought oil to the “lower 48” states